Ienzo
by The Philosopher's Queen
Summary: The youngest apprentice of Master Ansem. The one who doomed them all. This is Ienzo's story, from when he was a child, to when the heartless took Radiant Garden. Marluxia x Zexion and others. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

Ienzo

Summary: Ienzo's story, from when he was a child to when Radiant Garden was taken by the Heartless. A story of betrayal, friendship, love, adventure and tragedy. Eventual Ienzo x Lumaria (MaruZeku!) And others.

Er…yeah, I know this isn't the story I had planned…this was actually a different idea I wasn't going to write properly, but I decided it had a better plot than the first one Any of you who are waiting for 'Poison', I might mold the plot and turn it into a sequel of this, or I might leave it and write it alongside this story.

Disclaimer: Square Enix owns Kingdom Hearts, along with Disney.

Notes: sometimes people will call Ienzo 'Ien'. This is pronounced 'Yen'. Lumaria is pronounced Lu – Maria (like the girls name) …that's just how I like to say it :)

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Flames leapt high into the air, and machine guns crackled with fire as a stately manor house was overwrought with armour clad mercenaries . People screamed and ran, and many were gunned down as they fled. The house servants were hiding, they knew it was the end, the feud that had split the Heart and Diamond families had finally come to a close.

_About half a mile south, a little girl with messy black hair ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She was only eight years old. She carried a bundle of something in her arm, and was struggling with it, as her other hand held the smaller hand of a toddler behind her. The little boy was crying and complaining, but the girl paid him no heed as they joined the throng of people running from the estate. Workers, factory staff and administration officials were all there. Hardly anyone saw the children. They were bundled roughly from side to side and the little boy let out another scream. The girl shouted as loud as she could as soon as their escape route came into sight; their father's helicopter._

_Which was about to take off. "Mister Kennick! Mister Kennick!"_

_The man named Kennick turned, him and his wife already in the helicopter. "Miss Heart!" He exclaimed, aghast. Jolie, his wife, also the children's nursemaid, let out a cry. "Lerryn! Ienzo! Oh goodness, Lukas…" She practically fell over her husband to get out, running to the children, taking baby Lukas off the little girl, who still held tightly to her little brothers hand. Ienzo began to howl as he was dragged towards the helicopter. People were trying to get onto it, but Kennick was holding them off. "Get out of the way! The children! Let them on, they're the last of the family!" Either no-one heard him, or no-one cared, because they just crushed closer._

_Ienzo's hand slipped from Lerryn's grip. They both screamed, but quickly lost sight of each other. The four-year old was buffeted from side to side, and someone knocked him over._

"_Ien! IEN! Ienzo!"_

* * *

"Ienzo!" The boy woke with a start. His room-mate, a six year old named Marty, was shaking him. "You was screaming…" The little brown haired boy had tears in his eyes and was biting his lip. The seven-year old stared at him.

"Again?"

Marty nodded. "Go back to bed, Marty." Ienzo said, almost haughtily. He watched the younger boy disappear under the covers, then he swung his legs out of bed. Pulling on a too-big sweater the small boy made his way out of their room. Marty squeaked. "You can't go out. S'not allowed, Ien, you'll get in _trouble_."

Ienzo didn't dignify the statement with an answer as he closed the door behind him. Walking down the long corridor, he thought about the dream his nuisance of a room-mate had woken him up from.

Lerryn. His sister…and a baby, but he couldn't remember the baby's name. It had been said in the dream, but as always, the details were slipping away along with his sleepiness. He remembered with a shudder letting go of Lerryn's hand and being pushed over, but the details were fuzzy, like his memory was already letting go of the images. Ienzo pushed open the bathroom door and locked it behind him, moving to the big mirror on the far wall. He pulled himself onto the counter top and looked at his reflection. Messy, shoulder length black hair that was always in disarray, large, bright blue eyes almost hidden by the dark bangs, clothes that were either too big or too small for him, courtesy of the orphanage he was currently living in. His benefactor, (whatever that meant) a man named Ansem, had supplied him with nice clothes, but of course, they'd all been pinched fairly quickly. There were almost thirty boys and girls here, and Ienzo was one of the younger ones.

He sighed and turned his back on his reflection, choosing to sit against the mirror instead. He pulled a black pen out of the sweater pocket and gazed at it interestedly. He doodled on the back of his hand, trying desperately to remember more of his dream, and with it his past, which was still as blurry as ever. He only really remembered being here, even though people like Marty had said he'd only been here a couple of years. That left, by Ienzo's calculations, at least a year between being separated from his family and arriving here. A year which was all fuzzy memories and half remembered feelings.

A swift knocking startled him. "Ienzo!" A hard voice called. "Ienzo unlock this door, I know you're in there!" The boy rolled his eyes. "Thanks Marty." He growled, sliding off the counter quietly. He realised there was absolutely no way to escape, they knew it was him.

"Ienzo, unlock this door _right now_!"

"Alright! Alright, I'm coming." Frowning, the black haired boy flicked the bolt across and opened the door, looking up at the young, well-built woman before him. "Sorry, Ness." He muttered without preamble. The blonde had her arms folded, but she let them drop as she sighed exasperatedly. "Ien, that's the third time this week. Marty said you'd been gone over an hour. You don't get enough sleep for a healthy seven year old as it is, without all these midnight wandering, which, I might add, are against the rules." She spoke as though he were older, for which Ienzo was grateful. Too many idiots here treated him like a child. He was far more mature than any seven year old he'd ever been in contact with; they were all snotty, whiny brats. Something he hoped he'd never be.

"I know." He murmured, turning away. "I had a bad dream. It's not like I can crawl into bed with mummy, is it?" He spoke with a touch of spite, and Ness shook her head. "No. It isn't. But everyone else here is in the same boat, even me."

Ienzo looked back up at her, startled. "Really?"

"I started working here at eighteen, but I've lived here since I was eleven. I know what it's like, I lost my parents in a car crash, and for three years I dreamed about it constantly. It drove me insane, but it gets better, even if it never really goes away. Life has to go on, right?" She knelt down to his level and he folded his arms. Ienzo knew he looked petulant, but Ness chose to disregard it and pulled him into a hug. "You're lucky it was me on patrol tonight. Anyone else and you would have been spanked for leaving your bedroom."

"You're too kind." Ienzo muttered with a hint of sarcasm, and she held him at arms length. "You, mister, are a cheeky sod."

"And you said a swear. I should report you."

"I don't know why I bother, sometimes, Ien." She laughed, picking him up. He squirmed, not liking it. "Put me down"

"Nope." She threw him over her shoulder with ease, and Ienzo cursed his spindly frame. He beat at her back, but against his better judgement, was beginning to giggle. Ness was funny, and a lot nicer than some of the other care-workers. "Besides, mister, you're going to see Master Ansem tomorrow…" She paused and glanced at her watch. "…make that today, it's almost two." Ienzo suddenly propped himself up onto his elbows, still flung over the thickset girl's shoulder. "Master Ansem?"

"Yep, and you're gonna be falling asleep on him, and after all he's done for you!" She teased. He grinned.

She dumped him on one of the sofas in the reception room. "Since you're awake, you want a hot chocolate? I fancy a cuppa."

Ienzo nodded enthusiastically. This was great, caught out of bed, and instead of getting a whack and being sent to bed, he was getting hot chocolate, and probably, because Ness was Ness, a chocolate biscuit. Sure enough, she shoved the tin at him. "You wan' one?" She said with her mouth full.

"Please." Ienzo whispered politely, smiling at her.

They sat together, Ness bent over her coffee, elbows on her knees, and Ienzo sat cross legged on the sofa opposite her. Presently he began to feel tired again, the warm hot chocolate and the quiet hum of the fridge lulling him back to sleep.

* * *

He woke in his own bed, and made a mental note to say thank you to Ness when he next saw her. Marty was sat up in bed, and Ienzo glared at him. "Did you tell on me last night?"

"Nessie came and asked me. I said you been gone for ages. Did you get in trouble, I told you!"

As he put on a grey wool jumper and black cargo trousers that had rips in the knees from overuse, Ienzo wanted so badly to tell him that no, he hadn't got into trouble, he'd had chocolate and biscuits, but he'd get Ness in trouble if Marty complained, so he kept his mouth shut, glaring at the smaller boy. "Did not."

"Betcha did. You're always in trouble."

"Maybe that's because I actually have a brain, and can use it, which is more than I can say for you." Ienzo spat, flicking his hair out of his eyes before he left the younger boy, who clearly hadn't understood the insult. His wit was wasted here.

Grumbling all the way down the hall, he almost crashed into an older girl who was just coming out of his room. "Watch where your going, shorty!" The obnoxious red-head growled.

"You watch where _you're_ going, bitch."

"Um, Ienzo said a bad word!" One of the little kids screamed, and the girl turned around to him. Before she could say or do anything, a voice spoke from behind her.

"And I wonder who taught him _that_. Wouldn't have anything to do with you now, would it Braig?"

Ienzo knew that voice. He darted past the girl ad came face to face with two boys he recognised instantly. The one on the left, the one who'd spoken, had long blond hair that hung to just above his waist, and grey eyes with silver-rimed glasses, the other, taller one, had short scruffy brown hair, brown eyes and several scars. They were thirteen and sixteen, respectively.

"Even! Braig!" The boys grinned at him as he flung himself into the arms of the taller one, who spun him round and drew him into a hug. "Long time no see, kid." Braig laughed, and Even nodded. "We asked to come and pick you up today, even though Dilan was supposed to do it. Have you done all the work Master Ansem set you?"

Ienzo nodded. "Most of it anyway." He added guiltily. He went up to his room to collect his things while the two boys waited in the reception room. Braig and Even were two of Ansem's five apprentices. Dilan and Aeleus were the other two Ienzo knew well, they were fourteen and seventeen. Then there was Xehanort, Ansem's protégé, who hadn't spoken with Ienzo much, as he was 'far too busy' to deal with a seven year old child. He was a little older, but Ienzo didn't know his exact age.

Ienzo knew little of why Master Ansem took such an interest in him; he'd been told that Ansem had found him and placed him in care near to his school to keep an eye on him. He funded Ienzo's study, which for the time being was tutoring from himself or his apprentices, something the child liked a lot. Ienzo was taught science, mathematics and geography, with the odd bit of history or social studies thrown in, depending on his teacher.

After retrieving his work, Braig and Even took him out of the double doors of the orphanage and out onto the bright street. The sun lit up everything with the golden glow of morning, and the three boys wandered slowly towards Ansem's manor house, which held his academy and supported his apprentices and the hundred or so other pupils who attended his school for the gifted and talented. They passed through the gates, which opened automatically for them, courtesy of Dilan, a dark haired boy whose turn it was to give Ienzo a lesson today, along with Even. He looked rather tired. "Yo, Dil, up late this morning?" Braig teased. The younger boy rolled his eyes. "First of all 'yo' is not a proper greeting, and secondly, I was working all night, thanks to your little accident."

"Accident?" Voiced Ienzo with a grin.

"Hello Ien. Yes, _accident_. He only blew up one of our joint experiments because he got drunk and set fire to himself…" Ienzo laughed and looked up at Braig, who did indeed have a couple of new scars and a burn on his forehead.

"Aw, bitching thing, its wasn't my fault. It was volatile anyway."

"I told you Ien gets his bad language from you, Braig." Even put in, taking Ienzo's hand and leading him up the drive towards the manor itself. "When you've quite finished your ridiculous banter, Ienzo and myself will be waiting in lab room four, Dilan."

"Nah, I'm coming!" The fourteen year old growled, leaving Braig to snigger away in the background.

* * *

"This is fantastic, Ienzo." Even grinned, going through some of the exercises Ansem had told Ienzo to do from his last visit

"What can you tell me about matter?" Dilan put in, in the middle of quizzing the boy on some elements of physics. Ienzo bit his lip and thought about the work he'd been doing. After a moment, he said "matter… is the substance of which physical objects are made of…is it anything that has mass and takes up space?"

"Yep, that'll do. Don't forget that 'matter' is one of those terms that has a very loose definition, and as such is difficult to describe. Give me the three main states of matter."

"Solid, liquid and gas." Ienzo answered without hesitation.

"And give me one of their properties that changes for each state?"

Ienzo frowned. "Um…the atoms of a solid are closely packed together, whilst liquids are farther apart and gases are even more infrequent. The atoms I mean."

"What's another, more appropriate term to use there instead of 'atoms'?" Dilan asked. "I don't know…" Ienzo answered, desperately trying to think of the term.

"Molecules." Even said from behind him. "Use the term 'molecules'."

"I thought they were the same thing as atoms?" Ienzo asked, confused.

"They are, pretty much." Dilan grinned. "'Molecules' is widely seen as a more correct term."

The door opened, and another voice joined the conversation, laughing lightly. "He's only seven, boys, I don't think he needs to know the semantics of physics just yet." Ansem stood in the doorway, Cloaked in a teachers robe, which was white with red trim. He'd clearly just come from a lesson. Ienzo and Dilan jumped off the tables and Even stood up. "Master Ansem." The oldest of the three nodded respectfully.

"Dilan, Even, you may go." The apprentices gave Ienzo a thumbs up and left. Master Ansem sat down on the desk. "How are you getting on, young master Heart?"

"Fine thank you. I took some new books out of the library yesterday." Ansem smiled. "Good. I'm glad you like to read. I have something quite important to tell you, Ienzo." The boy said nothing, but looked up at him inquisitively. The blond man continued. "You turn eight years old in a week, right?"

Ienzo thought for a moment. "So I do." He grinned.

"At eight, children of your intelligence are invited to join my school. I'd like you to consider it, as I know you've had little to no experience of proper education."

Ienzo grinned widely. "Yeah! I'll join your school!"

"You know of my intention to take you on as my sixth apprentice, but you have to be twelve for that, so perhaps some time at our school would get you more used to life here?"

"Yes please!" The boy crowed excitedly, swinging his legs. Wait until he told Ness…she'd be really thrilled!

"Wonderful. Now, show me the test paper I gave you at the end of your last visit…"

* * *

Reviews are welcome! What did you think?

Next chapter, Lumaria makes his first appearance, along with one or two other familiar faces, and Ienzo attends school.

Thanks for reading!

Shadow

xxx


	2. Chapter 2

Ienzo

Summary: Ienzo's story, from when he was a child to when Radiant Garden was taken by the Heartless. A story of betrayal, friendship, love, adventure and tragedy. Eventual Ienzo x Lumaria (MaruZeku!) And others.

Thanks for the reviews, guys!!

And YES, Irri-sensai, thank you for pointing that out. I won't forget anything, I promise!! I still love you! You haven't emailed in AGES, I thought you'd forgotten about me! (Is happy)

Disclaimer: Square Enix owns Kingdom Hearts, along with Disney.

_It was dark when the little boy came to. Bright blue eyes surveyed the scene around him as he stood up. People lay on the floor, very still. Ienzo wondered if they were dead. He knew about Death, his Grand-daddy had died a little over a year ago in a scuffle with another businessman. Their family had been in the centre of a 'business war thoroughfare', as his Mama had put it, although the four year old didn't really know what any of that meant. In his mind, there wasn't a word to describe it. Ugly wasn't good enough, nor was horrible, and they were probably the vilest words he knew. He tugged at his shirt; there was a dark patch of mud on it from where he'd fallen. Mama wouldn't be happy. If Mama was even alive._

_At that thought, Ienzo burst into tears and sat down heavily, sniffing. His head hurt, his back hurt, and his arm hurt. He didn't know where his brother and sister were, and he was all alone. He looked up, hoping to see a sign of life._

"_Hello? Anybody up there?" Ienzo cocked his head at the distant voice. It didn't sound too friendly, and he wasn't in the mood to trust strangers. Wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, he frowned, and got up again, wincing slightly. He was definitely not in the mood to be hurt, either. Grumbling nonsense under his breath (the way his Daddy did when he was annoyed), he walked in the direction the voice wasn't coming from. He had no idea where he was, but in his head, he'd find a path and follow it until someone came and helped him. And if no-one helped him, he'd have to help himself…_

* * *

Ienzo was late. Very late. He'd been at Master Ansem's school barely a week, and he was going to be late. At eight years and two months old, he'd been formally invited to attend Radiant Garden Academy. He hadn't realised at the time that it meant he'd have to get up at half past six every morning to get there for half past seven, which was when classes started. At first Ienzo had been horrified at that, but when he found out that the boys and girls at the Academy got let out of school at lunchtime, he was fine.

He looked at his watch. It was quarter to eight. Cursing his alarm clock for failing to wake him up, he pulled on his coat and dashed out of the door, screeching a brief "Good bye!" to Ness and Villier, the care-workers on duty.

The street was bright, this morning; it wasn't as early as usual. It was also crowded, and Ienzo grimaced. There were other children around, playing before school; he supposed he wouldn't normally see them. Scowling as they chased each other and shouted, he was suddenly ploughed into from behind. Due to his insufferably small frame, he toppled over. Two boys and a girl raced past, hooting and throwing a small ball at each other. The girl screamed, "Head for the boundary, Lea! Come on they can't catch us now! Hurry up Edym!" Then they were gone, weaving in and out of the people walking down the street.

'Edym', the boy that ran past last turned to Ienzo.

"Sorry!" He screeched, as long hair the colour of sea foam streamed in front of his face. With that, he spun around. "Lea! Relena! Wait for me!"

Ienzo glared at their retreating backs, picking himself up off the floor and dusting himself down, uttering a string of colourful curses. He spun round at the sound of quiet laughter.

A little girl, probably about his age was giggling at his words. A boy, maybe two or three years older, soon joined her. He and the girl had dark brown hair, hers was straight and hung to her waist, and his was slightly curly and cut quite short. They also shared the same light blue eyes, leading Ienzo to believe they were relatives, possibly brother and sister. They were both tall and skinny. "Are you okay?"The boy laughed. "I saw you fall over."

"I didn't fall, I was _pushed._" Ienzo muttered, giving him his trademark glare.

"Alright!" He said, somewhat defensively. "Sorry, I was only asking."

"Well then, I'm fine, thank you."

"My name is Lumaria. I'm twelve and a half. This is Linnet, my sister. She's seven." He stuck out his hand. Ienzo took it with a raised eyebrow, taking in the boy's white and green tee-shirt and dark jeans distastefully. "I'm Ienzo Heart, and I'm eight years and two months old."

"You don't act eight. Hey…you one of them that goes to that Academy?"

"Yes." Ienzo tried to appear uninterested as he began to walk away. "And I'm late, so if you'll excuse me…"

"I thought so." Lumaria said, running to catch up. "You speak all posh. Hey, I'll see you round, I gotta take Lin to school!" He yelled, taking off, dragging his poor sister behind him. Ienzo stared. What a strange boy.

After a couple of seconds he smacked his forehead. "Why aren't I running?" He whined, starting to freak out. Heading up the hill towards the school, he didn't see the young man running towards him until he ran into him. For the second time in ten minutes, the boy found himself on the floor. "Hey, kid, I was just coming to find you!" A voice exclaimed from above him. Ienzo looked up at a grinning red-head with muscled arms and sharp brown eyes.

"Aeleus!" Ienzo smiled. He then shrieked as the older boy picked him up and deposited him on his shoulders. "How do you do that?" Ienzo giggled, somewhat uncharacteristically. Aeleus always brought out the younger boy's immature side, the side that others found so hard to locate.

"You're late, kid, Ansem sent me to get you. You've missed morning classes, so you're going to have to catch up some other time. Xehanort, Dilan, Even, Braig and I are starting an experiment, and Ansem wants you to join us. Just to watch, mind you." Ienzo grinned, although he realised the big teenager wouldn't see it.

"What sort of experiment?"

"You'll have to wait and see!"

* * *

Ienzo stood awkwardly in front of Ansem's protégé, shifting from side to side under the slim sixteen-year olds appraisal. Xehanort, a cocky silver-haired boy with matching silver eyes cocked his head, staring haughtily down at him. "So you're…eight, then. Too young to be a proper apprentice?" He said sneeringly.

Ienzo nodded, feeling somewhat irritated by the older boy's condescending tone. Even rolled his eyes. "Leave him be, Xehanort, he's here to watch, not to be bullied by you."

"Yeah, get that stick out yer ass." Braig put in, leaning against the doorframe chewing something. The silver haired teen glared daggers at him as Ienzo fought back a snort of laughter. "_You_, Braig, should not be eating in the lab." He snarled, clenching his fists at his sides. Braig laughed.

"Asif. It's chewing gum, so it ain't food…therefore I ain't technically eating." Beaten, Xehanort stomped behind the desk where Even was carefully mixing chemicals, assisted by Aeleus.

Ienzo watched them, fascinated. he loved the brightly coloured chemicals and the careful, gentle, almost loving way Even was handling them. Braig was making no attempt to join in, Aeleus was fetching and carrying, Xehanort was muttering instructions, and Dilan was writing feverishly in a notebook. Ienzo looked up at Braig, who'd come to sit next to him. "Do they always do the same jobs?" The sixteen-year old smiled.

"That's the way they like to do it. I'd normally be measuring the chemicals and reading instructions, as I'm usually the most qualified, but Xehanort is here. He tends to take over either my job or Even's…depends on his mood. He's a strange one. Very manipulative. You find yourself doing what he's told you without even realising it. He's devious…Even calls him 'dangerous', but that's only because he's intimidated by him. I mean, the only reason I'm not bothered is because I'm bigger. He'd have a job intimidating me just cause he couldn't belt me if I didn't do what he said. He's alright outside of the lab, though. Just a bit nutters."

Ienzo stared at Xehanort, who had a look of intense concentration on his face. "Somehow…" He murmured, "I can see that…he's dedicated, though, isn't he?"

Braig nodded, taking a bar of chocolate out of his pocket and breaking off a piece for Ienzo. The younger was about to repeat Xehanort's rule from earlier, but the infantile desire for chocolate took over and he accepted with a 'Thank you'.

* * *

Ienzo still had to go to the late morning class, but once that was over (he'd had mathematics, a subject he greatly enjoyed) he was let out with the rest of the school. Unusually, Ansem didn't ask him to stay behind for a chat like he normally would, possibly because he'd already spent time with the apprentices.

Unfazed, he left with the other youngsters, chatting idly with the odd one or two he perceived to be intelligent enough to hold a conversation with. Then he stopped dead, one eyebrow raised. The boy from earlier…Lumaria…was waiting outside the gate, with his sister and a couple of other older children. Shaking his head, he walked up to them. Lumaria turned to him and grinned. "Hey Ienzo…have a good day?"

"I thought you kids didn't come out of school until later." He replied bitingly. Lumaria laughed.

"Kids…that's funny…I don't make a habit of turning up to school while I'm here, Ien. I got a sister to look after, and she comes out at midday. I have to be there to pick her up. I go to a boarding school for half the year anyway, I figure I do enough learning there. During the day I hang out with this lot. They're all about fifteen, sixteen…" Ienzo stared up at them. A tall girl with black hair and a lot of black makeup on her eyes and lips glanced at him and grinned, taking a drag from a cigarette. "Hey Lu, who's the kid?" She also wore black clothes and looked quite imposing.

"His name's Ienzo. I met him this morning…he's got an impressive arsenal of swear words, although I'm not sure I was happy about him using them in front of Linnet…" He turned to younger boy. "This is Kai. She's my cousin, and the others are her mates, Riki," He indicated a boy with dark messy hair, which hid one of his eyes. Ienzo noticed he had a lip ring and unconsciously ran his tongue over his own lip with a shiver. "…Chi…" A shorter girl with long blonde hair and glittery grey eyes… "…and Damien, Kai's _boyfriend_." The tallest boy inclined his head. He had striking eyes, but otherwise Ienzo found nothing to comment on. He wondered if it was normal to be so analytical when looking at people.

Kai thumped him. "Shut it, useless. Come on, you've found your little friend, lets go somewhere." Lumaria decided not to give Ienzo a choice in the matter, grabbing his arm and walking off with his cousin, who had Linnet slung over her shoulder. Ienzo growled at him. "What the hell? Where are you taking me…and…why are you taking me?"

Lumaria shrugged. "Wanted to get to know you. Also, I'm so fed up of being the littlest. Lin isn't normally with us, see, and they all go and do teenager stuff. I don't know anyone else our sort of age who isn't in school all day. I sort of latched onto you."

"You're four years older than me. Besides, I've got a curfew…" The brunet shrugged again.

"Tell them you made a friend. It's all good; we're going to the lake by the looks of it. Linnet likes to watch the ducks. Little sisters are so boring…there's a play park for kids there as well."

"I _know_, I live here too…" Ienzo rolled his eyes at the older boys chatter. He must have ADHD or something. Or he was just really talkative. He talked non-stop as they walked, getting a few odd glances from adults who were clearly wondering why they were outside at lunchtime. Ienzo's academy uniform gave them the benefit of the doubt though, and they wandered unhindered through the bright streets of Radiant Garden.

The play park had a sign on it that said '11 and under'. Ienzo glanced at Lumaria, who had already climbed onto the roof part and sat on it, grinning. "You're too old for this, Lumaria." The dark haired boy pointed to the sign. The older boy stared at him, apparently not deigning to give him an answer. Ienzo rolled his eyes and climbed up to join him anyway. It couldn't hurt to get to know someone new, he supposed.

* * *

A/N – if you thought Ienzo's behaviour as a four year old in the beginning of this chapter was unusual (the fact that he got over his situation quickly), it's actually common for children to let go of their fears and hurts fairly swiftly, and adapt to their situation. Their minds aren't developed enough to dwell on problems like the one our mini-protagonist found himself in, and they don't show signs of understanding the seriousness of these things until they are a little older. It's all child psychology….

Oh, and sea foam is very pale green, by the way. I expect you all knew that though. I love the name Edym and I love that colour hair. Loveless fans, think Youji, the zero boy. His hair is sea foam green. The game that Lea, Edym and Relena (go figure!) were playing is called 'hurling'. It's a Cornish tradition which involves throwing a ball from one end of the town to the other, in two teams. If you want to know the details, look it up. It's a bit of a brutal game… :)

Thanks for reading! Feel free to review, for they are love.

Shadow

xxx


	3. Chapter 3

Ienzo

Ienzo

Summary: Ienzo's story, from when he was a child to when Radiant Garden was taken by the Heartless. A story of betrayal, friendship, love, adventure and tragedy. Eventual Ienzo x Lumaria (MaruZeku!) And others.

Thanks for the reviews! Love you all :)

Disclaimer: Square Enix owns Kingdom Hearts, along with Disney.

xxx

_With a scratch of his head the child glared at the fork in the path ahead of him. Two choices, left or right? How was he supposed to choose? This was not like the paths in the garden…you could choose any path you wanted and eventually you'd end up back at the manor…but here…it was different. He had no idea where either of them went._

_With a decisive nod, he went right. To hell with the left path. It could 'die and freeze' as Lerryn said. He wondered where his sister was, but he had a funny feeling he wouldn't be seeing her for a while._

_With a sigh, he began to walk again, feeling exhausted already, but knowing that sleep wouldn't get him anywhere._

xxx

Ten-year-old Ienzo sat idly on the wall in front of the academy, a frown on his face. He swung his legs, kicking his heels against the lemony coloured bricks. A few of the students waved at him as they left the school, their extra-curricular clubs having ended. So…he'd been waiting almost an hour, then.

Fantastic. The frown deepened, but within moments, the two boys he'd been waiting for came sprinting around the corner.

Lumaria skidded to a halt in front of him, dragging a sorry-looking Edym behind him. The green haired boy's face was red and blotchy, and Ienzo hopped down off the wall, turning to the twelve-year-old.

"What did you do this time, Edym?"

Edym just sniffed, but Lumaria answered his question for him. "Silly idiot only went and fell off the roof of the play park. I had to take him to the hospital in case he'd broken something…"

"I didn't do it on purpose!" The smaller of the two stomped his foot, and Lumaria laughed. "You're such a dork, Ed…"

"Leave him alone, Lu…" Ienzo murmured, but he was smiling. The three boys wandered down the high street, chatting idly, the sun beginning to set behind them, casting long shadows. People hailed them, and at one point an older girl walked with them, talking to Edym, until she left to find her boyfriend. Then, Edym brought up the topic they'd all been avoiding for the past week.

"So…Lu…when do you have to leave?" Ienzo flinched and looked at Lumaria. His best friend, the first person who'd been nice to him without _having_ to be, was leaving soon. His six months of living here were just about over, and he'd have to go back to school in some other place.

The brunet avoided his gaze. "A few days…" he mumbled. Ienzo's heart sank. In a week, Edym would go back to school too, and whilst he'd still be here, he wouldn't be able to pick him up from school. Despite the black-haired boy's fervent denial of the fact that he absolutely did _not_ need to be babied, he actually quite liked it when Lumaria, plus Edym if he was on school holidays, picked him up. He liked the attention he got from his school friends for having older friends outside of the academy. He laughed inwardly. That made him sound so arrogant. Oh well. He _was_ arrogant.

xxx

Seven o clock found him sat on his bed, having been dropped off at the Home half an hour previously, half an hour _after_ his curfew of six. He'd been subsequently grounded for the next week, something he was absolutely furious about. He'd be missing Lumaria's last few days in Radiant Garden, and he'd cried, kicked, screamed and pleaded, generally behaving like a six year old. So, now, he was not only grounded, he was confined to his room. The worst thing was, he was highly embarrassed. At least he didn't have a room-mate to bug him. Once they hit ten, they were allowed their own rooms.

Thank the gods for that.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. He wasn't supposed to have it, but Lu's cousin had bought one for him as a goodbye present when she'd left to attend some college last year, insisting that she didn't mind as long as he kept it secret. He wasn't stupid. If someone here found it on him it would be confiscated. Kids under twelve weren't allowed a phone. He pulled it out, knowing who it was from already. It wasn't like he had many contacts.

**hope we dint get u in trouble! xx**

Ienzo rolled his eyes. They knew he'd be in trouble when they'd dropped him off…he glanced up, listening for footsteps, before typing out a reply.

**I'm grounded for a week.**

He left off any sort of friendly addition, since he was definitely cross with them. They'd had fun though, Lumaria had bought them all ice cream from the corner shop, and he hadn't been able to come back to the Home with it. It didn't matter in the end, either way he'd have been grounded…Ienzo sighed. Crap Children's Home, with its crap rules, its crap food and its crap care-workers. Now _there_ was an irony. Care-workers. Yes, they _cared_…about their pay checks…

The phone buzzed again. With a slight smile, he picked it up again.

**ouch! sorry…ur still coming out with us tomorrow, right? xx**

Ienzo rolled his eyes. What part of grounded didn't Lu get? Not that it mattered. They'd been planning on going to the beach with Chi, who'd promised to drive them, since it wasn't a school day. Lea and Relena, Relena's younger sister Ali, and Linnet were all going, too, so Ienzo wouldn't even be the youngest for a change. With a frown he typed his reply.

**Not supposed to, but I think I can get away. See you at ten…x**

This time, he deigned to put the little 'x' on the end, just because Lu was endearing. He received a reply straight away, but he knew exactly what it would say, so he left it, returning the phone to his pocket.

He was halfway through his mathematics homework when there was a knock on the door. He growled an irritable "What?"

"It's me, Ienzo, honey…I've brought you dinner, since you missed it…"

"Come in, Ness, the door isn't locked…" The big woman squeezed through the door. It was always awkward, since the boy had positioned his furniture differently, meaning the door only opened part way. He'd be told off for it when someone other than her checked on him, eventually. Little pest. She put a plate of chicken nuggets and chips on his desk. "Chips are salted and I left off the veggies, cause…well it's not like you'd eat them anyway."

"Thanks, Ness!" Gratefully Ienzo accepted the plate and began eating with gusto. He was starving, since he'd been sent to his room before dinner had been served. Abandoning his work, he grinned at her.

As she watched him fondly, Ness let her mind wander. She didn't know why she was so attached to this specific child. He was bitter, and sarcastic, and definitely had a nasty temper. Although, he'd gotten much better since being accepted to that academy…he'd made friends, something he'd never wanted, nor seemed to need before. The older boys, the apprentices, looked after him with gentle affection, and he'd even made some other friends, although she wasn't sure she liked the tall brunet boy with the intelligent eyes or the boy with the wild green hair that always seemed to be hyperactive. She knew that, when Ienzo went with them, he always ended up in trouble. Still, if he liked them, and they liked him, then her opinion didn't matter. At least he was having fun, something every child should be allowed to do.

xxx

It was early…so early that the sun wasn't fully up, yet. But if Ienzo had any hope of escaping without anyone catching him, he needed to be out before the shift changed and the night monitor was replaced by three care-workers. He knew from experience that there was a camera in the stairwell, and, however dozy the night monitor was, they wouldn't miss movement this early. So…he had to avoid the stairs.

It didn't matter. He didn't need the stairs.

He crept towards the room at the back of the corridor. It was painted black and had a poster of a handsome gothic man in a trench-coat on it. Normally, anything left on the outside of a door would be defaced, but the warning on the door was frank and to the point. The girl who lived here was the oldest in the home, and she was one of the scariest people Ienzo had ever met. He looked at the sign appreciatively.

_If you touch my stuff, or go in my room, I'll murder you in your sleep. Faylinn xx_

Underneath, bizarrely, was a smiling face, yellow and bright on the black card the message was on. None of the kids doubted her words. Idiots.

He slid into her room, which was dark, black curtains drawn over the window that otherwise might have let some light in. Ienzo knew that Faylinn kept her room immaculate, so he had no problem navigating his way towards the window.

Until she flicked the light on. Ienzo froze and turned to face her, a sheepish grin on his face. She was sat up in her double bed, the black covers drawn up to her waist. Her arms were slung across her knees and she wore a serene smirk. "Normally I wouldn't mind guys walking in here unannounced when it's dark…but I'm afraid you're a little short for me…"

"And you're too ugly for me." Ienzo retorted. They grinned at each other, having traded the usual insults. Ienzo bit his lip. "You gonna tell on me?" Faylinn nearly always caught him creeping through her room. The first time he'd tried, she freaked and started throwing things, until he started shouting right back. She'd been tickled by that, and had consequently tolerated the younger boy. Sometimes, if she was in a bad mood, she reported him and he got grounded. Which inevitably led to more night-time excursions.

"Hmm...depends. What you sneaking out for?" She grinned ferally at him, her blood red pyjama top making her dark irises even darker.

"Well…Lu got me grounded but it's his last week at Radiant…and we're going to the beach later. I don't want to miss it…"

"That Lumaria boy? I see…I'll let you off then. Only because I used to hang out with his cousin."

Ienzo thanked whatever God was listening that Radiant Garden was a fairly small community.

"Now begone, small annoying. I need beauty sleep."

"Lots of it." Ienzo shot back immediately as he disappeared out of her bedroom window, clambering out into the branches of the oak tree that was conveniently next to it.

xxx

Well now. There's another chapter for y'all. I liked writing this, and I loved Faylinn. She was a spur of the moment addition, and I'm glad I went with it. SO MANY OC's in this story now….oh well. I don't expect she'll reappear again, except in passing. She isn't a relevant character. She sort of reminds me of me.

Next chapter on its way :)

xxx


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